Statistical Estimation of Nanowire Lengths

Nanomaterials have applications in various fields such as medical, environmental, energy and consumer goods. A key issue for anisotropic nanomaterials, such as nanorods, nanowires, nanobelts, etc. is how to estimate their dimensions and size distributions. Metrics and methods for characterizing nanomaterial dimensions are necessary prerequisite for performing process optimization and process control. In this project, we aim to address the key issue of estimating lengths of one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials, in particular cobalt oxide nanowires grown using a wet chemistry process. We will use lengths of nanowire projections in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images taken at multiple viewing angles to obtain estimates of nanowire lengths. Key challenges in this task are the small number of measureable nanowires in each SEM image and difficulty in matching nanowires in different SEM images. The outcome of this project will be a method for obtaining statistically rigorous estimates of nanowire lengths.